La Chine est encore/China Is Still Far

2008. Algeria/France. Directed by Malek Bensmaïl. On November 1, 1954, in a small village near Ghassira, nestled in the Aurès mountains, two French teachers and an Algerian were the first civilian victims of the seven-year war for Algerian independence. Bensmaïl returns to that village, “the cradle of the Algerian revolution,” to chronicle everyday lives in this symbolic place. The film might have easily become a meditation on regret, but in Bensmaïl’s masterful hands it bears the weight of the past while engaging profoundly with the present. Print courtesy Doc and Film International In Arabic, Berber, French; English subtitles. 120 min.

If you are interested in reproducing images from The Museum of Modern Art web site, please visit the Image Permissions page (www.moma.org/permissions). For additional information about using content from MoMA.org, please visit About this Site (www.moma.org/site).